Tuesday, December 29, 2015

For my 96th radio station field trip, I returned to Pomona College radio station KSPC-FM; a station where I had been a DJ back in the late 1990s. On site for the fall 2015 University of California Radio Network (UCRN) conference, I enjoyed being back at the station. With many sticker-covered surfaces (including a fridge), shelves stacked with vinyl, and perhaps the cutest cat logo ever; KSPC still holds a special place in my heart.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

WMCN Forever graffiti at the Macalester College radio station. Photo: J. Waits

I loved getting the opportunity to visit several college radio stations in the Minneapolis area this October, all of which have very interesting and lengthy histories. WMCN (91.7 FM) at Macalester College is the descendant of several campus-only carrier current stations (with a variety of monikers) that first emerged in the 1940s. Before that, there were wireless experiments on campus around 1917 and a radio club was active by the 1920s.

Today WMCN operates over FM out of its dorm basement studio in St. Paul, Minnesota. Read my full report on Radio Survivor.

The beneficially of Reed College's former license, XRAY.fm operates over a very low power class D FM channel as well as on a translator in Portland. The relatively new station is already garnering fans and accolades from the local press for its mix of progressive talk programming and wide-ranging music shows.

On November 8, 2015, I visited community radio station KBOO-FM in Portland, Oregon. Around since 1968 and going strong today with more than 500 volunteers, KBOO airs a mix of talk and music programming, covering a wide range of topics and genres. The station also runs a Youth Collective, giving young people access to the airwaves.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

It's always fun to visit college radio stations that I profiled virtually for my now-defunct Spinning Indie 50 State Tour project. KRLX is one such station, which originally caught my attention way back in 2009 when I was digging into the early history of college radio. Located at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, the station is the descendant of an amazing radio legacy on campus, with the first station, KFMX-AM, launching in 1924. Sadly, KFMX ended its broadcasts in 1933 when faced with an increasingly crowded and competitive radio landscape.

Students at Carleton prevailed, however, launching a campus-only carrier current station in 1948, which morphed into FCC-licensed FM station KRLX in 1974. Read my full report on Radio Survivor.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

On Friday, October 23, I had a grand, three-hour tour of University of Minnesota's student-run radio station KUOM (aka Radio K) in Minneapolis. With a lengthy history (its AM signal dates back to the 1920s), Radio K embraces its past, yet also benefits from its state of the art digs. Inhabiting nearly an entire floor of a building, the station's space is full of personality, with some interesting artifacts from the past.

This spring, as Easter weekend approached, I made my way to American University's student-run college radio station WVAU in Washington, D.C. An online-only station, WVAU also publishes its own 'zine and regularly brings bands in to play live over the station's stream.

Friday, October 16, 2015

During a family vacation/road trip this August, I traveled to Olympia, Washington and got the chance to visit college radio station KAOS-FM at Evergreen State College. Located on a beautiful wooded campus, the station gets high profile treatment, as its broadcasts can be heard by passersby while waking by its building. With a mix of student and community DJs, KAOS airs a wide array of programs from its spacious studios.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

A few weeks ago on my summer family vacation road trip to the Pacific Northwest, I managed to visit a few radio stations. My first stop was to University of Oregon's college radio station KWVA-FM in Eugene, Oregon. An active station with around 150 volunteers, it's known for its array of music, talk, and sports programs and on the day of my visit it was doing an all-day live remote broadcast from a local festival. Slated to move in the next year, there's no word on what will happen to the station's sticker-covered cabinets.

On an April morning earlier this year while on a trip to Washington, D.C., I ventured out to Fairfax, Virginia in order to see WGMU at George Mason University. The online-only station has a prime location in a busy hallway of one of the many student centers on campus. Passersby can stop and watch the DJ on duty and can hear the station emanating from speakers outside the station.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

While in Washington, D.C. this April, I was able to visit a few nearby college radio stations. First up was Howard University's student-run radio station WHBC. The sister station to Howard's commercial radio station WHUR-FM, WHBC offers students mentorships with WHUR peers, while giving them the opportunity to run their own station online, via WHUR's HD3 signal, and over campus cable.

Back in February I visited Bellarmine University's streaming radio station Bellarmine Radio in Louisville, Kentucky. The cozy station was launched in a closet in 2005 and last semester around 20 students were involved with the station.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

In honor of High School Radio Day (on April 22, 2015), I took a visit to KBCP at Bellarmine College Preparatory School in San Jose, California. Broadcasting over low power AM to the campus and streaming to the world, KBCP airs mostly sports and music programming. Its enthusiastic staff of teenagers is a testament to the fact that young people still embrace radio.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

I'd been looking forward to visiting Louisville, Kentucky for a long time and one of the big reasons was because I wanted to check out the streaming community radio station ARTxFM. I first met its founder, Sharon Scott, several years ago when she was working to fight the shut-down and sale of her alma mater college radio station at Vanderbilt University (WRVU-FM) and we've become close friends.

Enthusiastic about starting up a community radio station, Scott worked to found ARTxFM and then led the station through the application process for a new low power FM (LPFM) license. With a construction permit in hand, ARTxFM will be on the terrestrial airwaves within a year.

Friday, April 10, 2015

On Wednesday, April 8, 2015, I took a short road trip across the San Francisco Bay in order to see 9th Floor Radio at Laney College in Oakland. In existence since 2006 as a podcast and streaming radio station, 9th Floor Radio is preparing to add a low power FM (LPFM) broadcast this summer, after obtaining a construction permit in the recent application window.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Last week, on Monday, March 23, 2015, I took a very snowy road trip through the suburbs of Chicago in order to visit North Central College's student radio station WONC-FM. Recently named College Radio Station of the Year by IBS, WONC has a rock music format that broadcasts over its powerful signal. And they have that Leo sign...

On February 19, 2015, I took a road trip to see a few stations in Kentucky, including Georgetown College's student-run radio station WRVG-LP, about a 30 minute drive from Lexington. Located inside the school's student center, the station had a lovely view of the snow outside on the brisk winter day of my visit.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Yesterday I stumbled across a pop-up radio radio station in San Francisco. RBMA Radio was broadcasting live from a store on Valencia Street for 15 days and I just happened to stroll by on its final day. A project of Red Bull Music Academy, RBMA Radio just relaunched and its San Francisco stint kicked off its new incarnation as a streaming service in the United States (it was previously on-demand).

Throughout the 2-week residency in San Francisco, RBMA Radio hosted a wide array of local DJs, musicians, record labels, and record shops from its storefront digs at Dijitalfix.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

2015 is starting out with some amazing radio station tours. On Friday, March 6, 2015, I visited KCSB-FM at University of California, Santa Barbara. Although I'd visited the station in the past, I hadn't written a proper field trip report until now.

It was just as well, since my friend Ted Coe gave me the grand tour this time around, showing me every nook and cranny of the 50+ year old station's sprawling digs. Located under the iconic Storke Tower, KCSB has wide-ranging programs, a rigorous training program (with its own mock station KJUC), and active news and sports departments.

So naturally, University of Kentucky's college radio station WRFL-FM (Radio Free Lexington) was my first radio station stop during a trip to Kentucky in late February, 2015. WRFL is gearing up for a move, so I was happy to see it before all of the decades-worth of stickers and graffiti disappeared.

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Recently I learned of yet another college radio station in San Francisco and was excited to visit last fall. San Francisco Art Institute's streaming radio station, The Tower, has a fascinating history, having been initially created as part of a class in the New Genres department.

See my full report on my November, 2014 visit to the station on Radio Survivor.

Monday, February 2, 2015

During my trip to Seattle for the College Broadcasters Inc. (CBI) conference, I visited five radio stations in the area. My final field trip (on October 23, 2014) was to see college radio station KXSU at Seattle University. Currently a streaming radio station, KXSU holds a construction permit for a new low power FM (LPFM) station and hopes to be on the air over 102.1 FM in Seattle, Washington by fall 2015.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

While in Seattle last October, I visited a number of radio stations that are preparing to migrate to low power FM (LPFM). One such station is streaming community radio station Hollow Earth Radio. Already an established presence in Seattle (it's been around since 2007), Hollow Earth has a full schedule of shows and also puts on an annual music event called the Magma Festival.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

I was busy touring radio stations in Seattle last fall, seeing a total of five over the course of a few days. My third radio station visit on October 22, 2014 was to University of Washington, Bothell's internet radio station UWave Radio. Granted a new low power FM (LPFM) construction permit last year, the college radio station is anticipating tremendous growth after it begins broadcasting terrestrially.

Made up of some KUSF alumni DJs as well as newer community members, San Francisco Community Radio operates its streaming radio station from a studio far from the University of San Francisco campus. With hopes of obtaining a new low power FM (LPFM) license, it's been chugging along with not only radio shows, but also regular events around the city.

Monday, January 19, 2015

While in Seattle last October, I visited 5 radio stations. My first stop was to public radio station KEXP and following that, I ventured to Rainy Dawg Radio at University of Washington. The online-only station launched in 2001, after college radio station KCMU (now KEXP) left campus.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

While visiting Seattle for the College Broadcasters Inc. (CBI) conference in October, 2014, I was able to tour 5 different radio stations, including public radio station KEXP. Formerly a college radio station (KCMU) at University of Washington, KEXP is now an independently owned public radio station focused on music.